President Toomas Hendrik Ilves presented his compilation album "Teenage Wasteland - Favorites 1963-1678" in Cinema Sõprus on Thursday evening. The album, the proceeds from which will be donated to My Dream Day charity project, goes on sale today.

The compilation includes 16 songs from 1963-1978 that influenced the President when he was growing up in the United States of America. There are gems from Motown’s prime and 60s teenage symphonies, trippy blues and quirky artrock, proto-punk and glamrock, observational tales and rabble-rousing anthems.

According to Ilves, the songs in the "Teenage Wasteland“ compilation have all shaped his later tastes in music, from new wave to punk, grunge down to today's Wolf Alice, Palma Violets and the ruler of Estonian indie, Vaiko Eplik. "These were the songs I listened to at night with a small 12 transistor radio when I was growing up, which provided much needed redemption for life in what The Who called a Teenage Wasteland. Funny to say now, turning 62, but back then my life was saved by rock 'n' roll," he admitted.

"This isn't a complete collection of my favorite songs. That would include all kinds of songs from 1963-78 most Estonians know – the Beatles, the Stones hits, for example," Ilves said. "They also do not include bands that wouldn't give permission for a collection of this type, which means crucial songs such as the Kinks "You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All of the Night" are missing. As are the We Five's "You Were On My Mind" which a mere year later paled before Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody to Love". Missing too is the musical and spiritual father of Pearl Jam and Nirvana, Neil Young, in his "Cinnamon Girl" phase. As is the early garage punk band Music Machine's "Talk Talk"."

The album was produced by the president's former security adviser Andres Vosman, alias DJ Drummie. It is being released by Universal Music Baltics and it will be available on CD in record stores and in Spotify streaming service from today, December 4.

During the launch on December 3, Ilves took to the DJ set, where he was joined by several Estonian musicians and DJs. He was accompanied at the party by Latvian cybersecurity expert and defense adviser Ieva Kupce.

Minu Unistuste Päev (My Dream Day) is a charity that aims is to make dreams come true for seriously and chronically ill children treated at Estonian hospitals. You can read our feature about them here.

Following the local elections in October this year, Reform Party founder, former prime minister, EU commissioner, and presidential candidate Siim Kallas took on the job of municipal mayor of Viimsi, a community on the outskirts of Tallinn. In his interview with ERR's Toomas Sildam, Kallas talks about local government, his party, the EU presidency, and perspectives in Estonian politics.